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A local’s cheat sheet to the most sensational Hervey Bay camping

Kristie Lau-Adams Kristie Lau-Adams
From beachfront camp sites to amenity-laden caravan parks, the best Hervey Bay camping tees up idyllic outdoor exploration.

I’m overwhelmed with activity options in the small coastal city of Hervey Bay. Swim with whales, take a scenic flight over neighbouring K’gari, go on a jet skiing escapade along the placid coastline… the options are limitless. And if you’re anything like me, that yearning for uncharted action doesn’t stop after dark. My advice? Pair daytime adventures with nights under the stars. From unblemished camping grounds to quiet caravan parks (delightfully, they’re not as wild as most) that embrace their natural surroundings, the best Hervey Bay camping fuels all-day enchantment. Here are my favourites.

In short

If you only stay at one campsite in Hervey Bay, choose Discovery Parks — Fraser Street, Hervey Bay. The glamping tents are unique to the region and it’s surprisingly tranquil during the day because everyone’s out exploring nearby attractions.

Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay

one of the cabins at Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay
Check into one of the pet-friendly cabins at Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay.

Let’s start with one of the wackiest, most unforgettable Hervey Bay camping options of all. Sure, Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay is home to your standard powered and unpowered sites plus units, cabins and villas, but its Bel Air Retro Caravan is wholly unlike anything you’ve experienced. Starting from $199 per night and sleeping up to five guests, it’s a total 1950s time warp, complete with checkerboard flooring both inside and across the private outdoor chill area. You’ve got your own bathroom, dining table, barbecue, double bed, triple bunk beds and kitchenette, while novelty fuel cans have been moulded into bar stools out front. Travelling with your fur babies? Unfortunately, the retro stay isn’t pet-friendly, but many of this Hervey Bay camping hot spot’s accommodation is. Facilities include a swimming pool, a games room, a laundry, a kids’ bouncing pillow, a kiosk, a camp kitchen, accessible bathrooms, a tennis court, a playground and a dump point. Price-wise, unpowered sites start from $42 per night, powered ones go from $79 per night, and cabins start from $149 per night.

Address: 105 Truro St, Torquay

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Discovery Parks – Fraser Street, Hervey Bay

a bonfire setup outside a safari tent at Discovery Parks – Fraser Street, Hervey Bay
Stay in a deluxe safari tent that sleeps up to four guests. (Image: Sean Scott)

I bring a campervan into Discovery Parks – Fraser Street, Hervey Bay, a lush, tree-dotted space located just a five-minute stroll from Torquay Beach and an easy walk to some of Hervey Bay’s best restaurants. It’s a good move, parked right near the amenities block and one of its two swimming pools, but I must admit — I’m a bit jealous of the lakeside glampers. The Hervey Bay accommodation offers Deluxe Safari Tents that sleep up to four guests and they’re positioned at the water’s edge with decks featuring dining tables and barbecues. How good is that?

Back in my camper, I’m beyond comfortable though. I make good use of the swimming pool, laundry, camp kitchen, barbecues and dump point, while kids grin all around me as they hop between biking the grounds, the bouncing pillow, the tennis court and the playground. As for the nitty gritties at this very chilled out Hervey Bay camping option, pets are welcome, there are accessible bathrooms, you’re encouraged to feed the resident lorikeets (BYO birdseed, I’m advised) and prices start from roughly $200 per night for the glamping tents, $158 per night for cabins and $46 for powered sites.

Address: 20 Fraser Street, Torquay

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Trinity Islands Holiday Park

the Burrum River in front of Trinity Islands Holiday Park
Enjoy peak lakefront serenity.

Trinity Islands Holiday Park is set around a 4.5-hectare lake and features two spectacular islands to camp upon. The camping sites are spacious, offering serious lakefront serenity, and leashed pets are welcome. This Hervey Bay camping beauty is stripped back to basics, letting you lean into nature while that epic lake offers all the activity. Explore it by kayak or SUP, go for a swim, indulge in a spot of ‘catch and release’ fishing or relax on an inland beach.

This place also fronts the Burrum River – a great spot for swimming and fishing – while keeping you just a 25-minute drive from the centre of Hervey Bay. There’s no need to leave the camp’s grounds though, really — they’re stocked with ice, bait, drinks, gas and firewood. Choose from unpowered and powered sites as well as cabins, with prices starting from about $32 per night for unpowered, $42 for powered and $130 for a cabin.

Address: 805 Burrum Heads Rd, Burrum River

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Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park

the Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park, Hervey Bay
The Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park offers an idyllic coastal escape right on the Esplanade.

Location, location, location. If you’re all about a beachfront escape, book into the Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park, a Hervey Bay camping spot right on the Esplanade. It’s home to all the facilities and amenities you’d expect from a holiday park — think a camp laundry, a camp kitchen, barbecues and picnic areas — while its incredible proximity to the town’s best bits helps seal the deal. Kids will adore cutting loose in the neighbouring WetSide Water Park, open seasonally and free to enter, plus there are boutiques and eateries within a short stroll. Guests with access needs are catered for via multiple accessible-friendly facilities. Pets are not allowed. Overnight digs come in the shape of beachfront and non-beachfront camp sites offering power and no power, and prices start from roughly $45 per night.

Address: 267 Esplanade, Pialba

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Burrum Coast National Park

the Burrum Point Camping Area, Burrum Coast National Park
Go off-grid at the Burrum Point camping area. (Image: Sabrina Lauriston/Tourism and Events Queensland)

Looking to get away from it all? Set up shop right on the Burrum Coast. It’s just over an hour’s drive north-west of Hervey Bay but feels positively light years away. Choose from two sections of the park to camp in: Kinkuna bush camping or the Burrum Point camping area, both of which require a camping permit (from $7.50 per night) and a national park fee which should be organised well in advance to avoid competing with crowds. To reach either site, you’ll need a high clearance 4WD, but the payoff is remarkable. These little-known, hard-to-access campsites provide a bounty of tranquillity. They’re both shaded by eucalypt and casuarina trees, and located behind foredunes, just a short walk to the beach. Burrum Point has only 13 sites but offers water, cold showers and flush toilets, while Kinkuna has 40 sites and none of those luxuries, however it allows campfires and generators (conditions apply).

Address: Burrum Coast National Park, Woodgate

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BOOK BURRUM POINT

Poona Palms Caravan Park

the Poona Palms Caravan Park, Hervey Bay camping
This pet-friendly, heavenly coastal stay is complete with powered and unpowered sites.

While you’re considering the wider region, let me throw Poona Palms Caravan Park onto your radar. Located right along the Great Sandy Strait, it’s a heavenly coastal stay filled with powered and unpowered sites, villas, cabins and even motel-style rooms. The serenity you’ll find here is pretty intoxicating as activities span fishing, boating, sprawling out over water-facing grasslands, beach hangs, 4X4 off-roading and pumping yabbies. The best drawcard, in my book? The Strait is filled with so much marine life including vibrant sea birds, dugong, turtles and dolphins, so just kicking back and getting to know adorable locals is easy. Break up your nature fix by exploring facilities that span a cafe (how convenient) which doubles as a bar in the afternoons (double convenient), a kiosk, a laundry, a camp kitchen, a playground, a swimming pool, barbecues, and basketball and tennis courts. There’s also a dump point, plus this spot is pet-friendly as can be with a doggie wash and dog-friendly cabins. Powered sites start from about $49 per night, while four-walled options start climbing from about $157.

Address: 103 Boronia Dr, Poona

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Kristie Lau-Adams
Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
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Hervey Bay

The best Hervey Bay accommodation for an unforgettable coastal getaway

From slow-going holiday parks to splashy resort living, the best Hervey Bay accommodation puts travellers right at home.

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From reef to rainforest: Discover the best Port Douglas experiences

(Credit: TTNQ)

    Lucy Cousins Lucy Cousins
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    Ancient rainforest, coral reefs, laid-back luxury and adrenaline-fuelled adventures, Port Douglas offers a side of Australia unlike anywhere else.

    Mornings in Port Douglas start with a beautiful symphony. As day breaks, the lyrical calls of Rainbow Lorikeets, cries of the sulphur-crested cockatoos and rhythmic Coral Sea waves create a colourful soundtrack for Tropical North Queensland’s sunrise. If there’s one place in Australia that captures the sweet spot between luxury and laid-back living, it’s here. This small, seaside village has just enough glamour to feel indulgent and just enough barefoot charm to make you feel like you’ve escaped the chaos of everyday life.

    Whether you’re diving into the warm waters on Four Mile Beach or enjoying an ice-cold drink and a Barramundi burger overlooking the marina, Port Douglas offers more than just a seaside holiday.

    Local gourmet goodies

    Nautilus restaurant port douglas
    Nab an open-air table beneath a canopy of palms at Nautilus. (Image: Toby Stanley)

    The tropical food scene in Port Douglas is influenced by the rich agricultural regions surrounding it, with fresh produce arriving daily from nearby farms and tropical growers across the region. At Nautilus – a hidden, palm-fringed restaurant just off Macrossan Street – the menu showcases regional flavours. Its Signature Nautilus Mango Soufflé is a long-time favourite.

    Nearby, Hi-Tide by the Beach offers a relaxed way beachfront dining experience overlooking the Coral Sea. From crocodile and lemon myrtle spring rolls to wild barramundi and a volcanic hot stone steak, taste the diverse flavours of Tropical North Queensland.

    Visitors can also explore the region’s local markets. Port Douglas Markets offers artisan products and tropical treats each Sunday, while the Saturday morning Mossman Markets is the place for fresh local produce from the surrounding farming community.

    Just outside of Port Douglas, Ospreys at Thala Beach Nature Reserve has one of the region’s most memorable dining outlooks. Perched on a small headland between rainforest and sea, take in views across the coastline and mountains while you dine. The seasonal menu highlights local seafood, tropical fruits and native ingredients sourced from across the region

    Travelling with young humans

    Hartley's Crocodile Adventures port douglas
    Catch a spectacle at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. (Credit: TTNQ)

    Port Douglas caters for all types of visitors, but families especially love the walkable streets, wide beaches and range of activities nearby. An attraction that never fails to delight all ages is Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures – a wildlife sanctuary and ecotourism park with some of the region’s largest crocodiles. Here, you’ll also find koalas, cassowaries, turtles and other Australian wildlife.

    For something slower paced, sit back and enjoy a tranquil visit aboard the historic Lady Douglas River Cruise. Glide along the calm waters of Dickson Inlet, keeping an eye out for birdlife and estuarine crocodiles along the mangroves. Children can take part in activity sheets onboard and even have the opportunity to help steer the boat.

    This region is also deeply connected to Indigenous culture, and a Dreamtime Walk is one way to learn about it. Discover the stories, traditions and connection to Country of the local Kuku Yalanji people from local Indigenous guides, while exploring the rainforest and waters of Mossman Gorge.

    Exploring local waterways

    Coya Beach port douglas
    Walk along the peaceful Cooya Beach. (Credit: TTNQ)

    Join a guided tour with Walkabout Cultural Adventures to explore the peaceful Cooya Beach. Led by deeply knowledgeable local Aboriginal guides, try seasonal local bush tucker, take in the beautiful landscape and gain insight into the history, culture and traditions of this land.

    Surrounded by dense canopy and ancient species, nearby Hartley’s Creek Falls are at their finest after rain. These beautiful falls are reached via a lush rainforest walk that winds through creek crossings, towering greenery and moss-covered boulders.

    To swim where the locals swim, head out past local farms and into the foothills of the Mossman River to Shannonvale – a low-key freshwater swimming hole surrounded by sun-warmed rocks and deep pockets of clear water. It’s a quiet area to spend a few hours retreating from the world.

    Adrenaline adventures

    Sailaway Port Douglas
    Take to the ocean with Sailaway Port Douglas. (Credit: TTNQ)

    One of the most high-octane ways to enjoy the nature of Tropical North Queensland is white-water rafting down the impressive Barron River. With Grade two and Grade three rapids, expect plenty of splashing, some teamwork, and a few moments where everyone in the raft screams and laughs at the same time.

    Join Back Country Bliss for the most unique floating experience you’ll ever encounter. Head into the rainforest and float along the serene Mossman River on your individual board, taking in the sights and sounds of the ancient landscape around you.

    If you prefer ocean swimming, Sailaway Port Douglas explores the idyllic Low Isles and the outer reef on their snorkelling tours. Enjoy the Great Barrier Reef from above or below and look out for coral gardens, giant clams, colourful reef fish and, if you’re lucky, sea turtles.

    For land-lovers, the Devil’s Thumb is a challenging but rewarding hike with incredible views over the coast and endless cane fields. This 10km return hike will take around six to eight hours, so leave a whole day and pack snacks!

    Experiences that give back

    Skyrail Rainforest Cableway port douglas experiences
    See the rainforest from above on The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. (Credit: TTNQ)

    With two UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland rainforest region – it’s not surprising Tropical North Queensland is a hub for eco-tourism. The stunning Daintree Ecolodge was founded on the principles of minimising environmental impact, supporting the local community and teaching guests about the local Indigenous culture. Their elevated rainforest-style ‘bayans’ are tucked among the trees, bringing nature into every part of a guest’s stay.

    Further down the coast, the luxury bungalows and treetop hideaways of Thala Beach Nature Reserve are dotted across 45 acres of protected headland, forest and beach. The property’s design intentionally preserves large areas of native vegetation and beachfront ecosystem, while conserving the surrounding habitat. The private beach and various swimming pools offer a cool retreat from the heat of the day, while the main lodge offers the perfect place to read and relax.

    The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, a 7.5-kilometre cableway between Cairns and nearby Kuranda, has won multiple tourism and environmental awards. It’s also the first tourism attraction in the world to achieve Platinum EarthCheck Accreditation, for its long-term environmental management and sustainability initiatives.

    Start planning your Port Douglas adventure at tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au.